A reciprocating pump may be configured to propel a treatment material, such as, but not limited to, concrete, an acidizing material, a hydraulic fracturing material or a proppant material, into a gas or oil wellbore. The reciprocating pump includes a power end and a fluid end, with the power end including a motor and a crankshaft rotationally engaged with the motor. Moreover, the power end includes a crank arm rotationally engaged with the crankshaft.
The fluid end may include a connecting rod operatively connected to the crank arm at one end and to a plunger at the other end, a cylinder configured to operatively engage the plunger and an end block configured to engage the cylinder. An inlet port is provided in the end block with an outlet port and a first bore extending between the inlet port and the outlet port. Moreover, the end block includes a cylinder port and a cylinder bore extending between the cylinder port and the first bore. As the motor operates, it rotates the crankshaft, which in turn reciprocates the plunger inside the cylinder via the crank arm and the connecting rod. As the plunger reciprocates, the treatment material is moved into the end block through the inlet port and propelled out of the end block through the outlet port under pressure to the gas or oil wellbore.
As demand for hydrocarbons has increased, hydraulic fracturing companies have moved into drilling more complex fields such as Haynesville Shale. Where older formations could be fractured at 9000 pounds per square inch (PSI), Haynesville Shale commonly requires pumping pressure upwards of 13000 PSI. Moreover, where older formations could utilize less abrasive proppant materials, Haynesville Shale customarily requires a highly abrasive proppant such as bauxite. The higher pumping pressure and utilization of more abrasive proppant materials has led to decreased fluid end life, and thus higher costs associated with replacement end blocks and pumps.
The present disclosure is therefore directed to overcoming one or more problems set forth above and/or other problems associated with known reciprocating pump fluid ends.